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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25187629">one no is enough</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillness_of_remembering/pseuds/stillness_of_remembering'>stillness_of_remembering</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>constant star [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Apologies, Doing Better, Gen, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, One Shot, Sexual Harassment, Short, Short One Shot, fixing shitty behavior, tanaka drinks some respect women juice, the rape happens to an oc and its only mentioned</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:13:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,390</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25187629</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillness_of_remembering/pseuds/stillness_of_remembering</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m going to start with a definition of sexual harassment. There are three types...” </p><p>Tanaka is paying attention, because this is actually important, and he starts to get a heavy feeling in his stomach when the presenter gets to the second type of sexual harassment:</p><p>“Unwanted sexual attention is unwanted pressure for dates or a show of sexual interest that is unwelcome.”</p><p>That sounds familiar.</p><p>---</p><p>or, Tanaka realizes that maybe he's messed up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nishinoya Yuu &amp; Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tanaka Ryuunosuke &amp; Shimizu Kiyoko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>constant star [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1854079</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>one no is enough</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A girl was raped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A girl was raped by, from what Tanaka can make out from the rumors that flood the school, at least half of the Karasuno varsity soccer team. The other half knew, but only one out of all of them supported the girl’s claims when she came forward about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A girl was raped, but this is a small school in a rural area, not the city, so Tanaka doesn’t ever hear anyone say the word “rape” outright. Instead, the incident is discussed in hushed whispers and with people talking around the topic. They say she was “forced,” or “attacked,” but not “raped.” Sometimes, Tanaka hears the word “slut” thrown around, like she had a choice in any of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Later, he will wonder: even if she did, why would she be the one being insulted just for having sex and not any of the guys involved?)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The school was about to suspend the girl in question for making false accusations against star players with big futures, and refusing to drop them. Then she suddenly had a witness, and they had furiously backtracked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, Tanaka is sitting in a school-wide assembly on sexual harassment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A harried looking woman stands with a powerpoint on a smartboard that’s been wheeled into the cafeteria, the only room big enough to fit the whole school. By some coincidence, Tanaka’s class is right at the front, so he is one of a small portion of the school that can actually see the presentation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, kids,” the woman starts. Tanaka mentally snorts; who calls high schoolers “kids” like they’re kindergarteners or something. They’re certainly adult enough to have to have this talk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to start with a definition of sexual harassment. There are three types...” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanaka is paying attention, because this is actually important, and he starts to get a heavy feeling in his stomach when the presenter gets to the second type of sexual harassment:</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Unwanted sexual attention is unwanted pressure for dates or a show of sexual interest that is unwelcome.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That sounds familiar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She goes on to discuss some statistics about harassment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Victims of sexual harassment are more likely to be depressed and to have symptoms of stress and anxiety.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She then tells them the process of reporting sexual harassment, and reassures them that victims of sexual harassment are legally protected against retaliation for reporting the behaviors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Later, he will realize that legal protection doesn’t stop nasty gossip or ostracization.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanaka takes it all in. He’s still, in the back of his mind, stuck on what she had said in the very beginning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanaka asks Kiyoko on a date at least a few times a week. She always says no. She’s told him flat out that she doesn’t like him like that. He hasn’t stopped asking her out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiyoko is competent and hardworking. She’s also extremely beautiful. Tanaka talks about her beauty frequently and loudly. It’s not the crude comments he associates with sexual harassment in his mind, but what he says is certainly aimed at her body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A girl was raped, and Tanaka would never do anything like that - would never even think of it! But what came out of that was a talk about something he does do regularly. So rape and- what Tanaka does are connected, if only tangentially. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanaka thinks he’s going to be sick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t get sick, and they go back to their homerooms and everyone seems to have forgotten about the presentation by lunchtime, but Tanaka can’t put it out of his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you being quiet today, bro?” It’s Noya, who looks concerned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing, man.” Tanaka doesn’t want to bring it up yet. He’s still so conflicted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nobody has ever chastised him for how he’d treated Kiyoko, or other beautiful girls, except maybe to tell him to quiet down. Noya even acts the same way, and it’s all normal. Kiyoko’s never told them to stop. Well… she does keep turning them down, but is that enough to mean that everything he’s been doing is wrong?</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>But sexual harassment </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>wrong. That’s not debatable; that’s just a fact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanaka is able to claim a headache to explain his lack of enthusiasm later, which is a perfect excuse for why he doesn’t fawn over Kiyoko with Noya like every other practice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, he’s able to watch their interaction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noya is Noya, and Tanaka knows every thought that goes through his head because they’re how he feels too most days. Kiyoko is as beautiful as ever, but for the first time, Tanaka considers her feelings beyond speculating about if she reciprocates his or Noya’s attraction. She doesn’t look happy. She seems like she’d rather be anywhere else, like she wants to escape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanaka’s never noticed that before, but now he can’t unnotice it. He doesn’t want to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After practice, he and Noya split up with the rest of the team to walk home together like they usually do. Their apartment complexes are right next to each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Noya, you remember the sexual harassment thing earlier?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess.” Noya looks like he’s wondering where Tanaka is going with this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You ever thought about- us? Like, how we treat girls?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What, are you saying we’re sexual harassers?” Noya asks, incredulous. “We </span>
  <em>
    <span>protect</span>
  </em>
  <span> girls, bro!” He strikes a pose, but drops it awkwardly when Tanaka doesn’t say anything. And it’s true, he and Noya have always tried to step in if guys are bothering or cornering Kiyoko or Yachi, or any girl, but that doesn’t make their behavior towards Kiyoko right either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… it’s just,” Tanaka sighs. “One of the things on the list that lady was talking about was like, unwanted pressure for dates, and we kind of do that to Kiyoko, don’t we?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean. She hasn’t told us to stop, has she?” Nishinoya unintentionally echoes Tanaka’s thoughts from before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is “no” not enough?” It’s uneasily close to sounding like they’re discussing rape now, and both of them know it. A thick silence settles over them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just, I was watching her today, and she didn’t look very comfortable when you were telling her how pretty she was and asking her out.” Tanaka continues.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Noya says. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- We do it like almost every day, bro. If she’s uncomfortable, that means </span>
  <em>
    <span>we’re </span>
  </em>
  <span>making her uncomfortable every day.” Voicing this out loud makes Tanaka feel the full weight of his guilt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right,” Noya sounds horrified. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day, he and Noya go find Kiyoko on her own before practice. She sighs and looks resigned, and Tanaka again feels spectacularly guilty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kiyoko! We want to apologize!” Noya shouts, and they bow in unison. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, the sexual harassment talk yesterday made us realize that we’re probably bothering you and making you feel uncomfortable and we feel bad and we wanted to say sorry and that we’ll stop now!” Tanaka says all in one breath after they straighten up again, eyes screwed up tight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Kiyoko looks down at her clipboard, not from focus but seemingly just to have somewhere to look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t thank us-” Tanaka starts to yell before Noya grabs his arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let her finish talking!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well.” Kiyoko says quietly. “You were right, it did make me feel uncomfortable. So thanks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanaka wants to argue that them stopping harassing her wasn’t any reason to be grateful. It was how they should have acted to begin with. He holds his tongue on the topic, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for accepting our apology, Kiyoko,” he says instead. Noya nods forcefully in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Honestly, this is the most Kiyoko has ever said to him. If it were two days ago, he would have been over the moon with joy. And it’s not like he’s suddenly stopped seeing Kiyoko as amazingly hot, but now he also sees that she deserves to feel respected and comfortable as much as any of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Later, Tanaka starts talking with Kiyoko a bit - he and she often seem to be the only ones able to stay awake on long bus rides - and he realizes she has a wicked sense of humor. He gets to know her as a friend, not a potential girlfriend, and he likes talking to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He never asks her out again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For all the women in the future, if they reject him, one “no” is enough.)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yeah so i didnt like how they treated kiyoko in canon so here's this lol</p><p>enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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